How Android will change the mobile world

In 2007 we had great announcements on the mobile phone field. First with Apple releasing the Iphone, then OpenMoko with the Neo 1973 and finally Google with a new open source platform called Android.

From all the facts stated above, Android is the one shaking the open source community and also all the communication market. First let me explain how all this Google’s OS thing started. Back in July 2005, Google acquired Android Inc a small company located in Palo Alto which created applications for mobile phones. From that day, speculations about Google getting in the mobile arena started. However nothing was done about Android until late 2007 and the question is, why it took so long for Google do something about it.

The BBC spread rumours that the giant Internet Search Company initially wanted to reinforce their online applications aiming mobiles like Google Maps and Google Calendar, and were trying hard to deliver that.

Now if you stop to think about it, this makes a lot of sense as most of these mobile applications released by Google will cover all the needs and with little detail- they are free.
Google My Location will be replacing the GPS, cutting those extra costs that people pay to have this service. Gmail is free and Outlook will be no longer necessary.

Despite that, Google set a $10 million challenge which developers from the whole world will help to create new applications for the OS.
These are not the only changes that Android is bringing to the table. Now consumers will also be affected by the new OS; as it can be fitted to any device, the research to buy a new handset might be harder than before, when we used to have specific handsets like BlackBerry, Palm and Iphone. Also Android is leading consumers to a Smartphone evolution, which for old users can be a dramatic change.
In addition Google is attempting to bid on the 700MHz auction that will be vacated by analog TV in 2009. The rumours are about Google getting cheap calls for mobiles or even free internet access.

So how is Android affecting the other telecom providers? Well major mobile voice and data carriers in the U.S. have pledged to open their networks to outside handsets and applications. Carriers including AT&T and Verizon are already opening their network for outside handsets, however it is uncertain if this will cost more for consumers- And I’m not even talking about the Voip communication. One application that will come with Android is Gtalk which allows the user to make calls using internet protocol (IP) in case of mobile phone the WiFi would be used to do such thing, which could cause free phone calls.

These changes are pretty good on one hand as we will have more options as consumers, however we could face lack of support coming from telecoms as it would be more expensive to train personnel in different applications and OS.
Nobody knows if Android is coming to be a good thing for mobile companies and consumers, or if it’s just Google’s Achilles’ heel like Steve Job quoted. What we know so far is that it is creating a good expectation.